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Tanuki Soba Recipe

Tanuki Soba

Tanuki Soba (たぬき蕎麦) is hot Soba noodles in soup with Tenkasu fried Tempura batter bits.  It is a Soba dish with a pretty simple topping, but that addition gives the dish richer flavor.

“Tanuki” literally means raccoon dog which is an animal found in Japan and a popular character in stories and culture there. One theory is that Tanuki Soba was named as a counterpart for another noodle dish – Kitsune noodle dishes.  “Kitsune” means fox, but we don’t quite know why somebody wanted to give symmetrical animal names to noodle dishes.  Another idea is that “tanuki (tane-nuki)” sounds kind of like “ingredients removed” in Japanese.  Since Tenkasu doesn’t have any vegetables or shrimp like regular Tempura but is only crumbs, the dish may have been named this way.

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How to Make Dashi

Dashi

Dashi, broth of fish or vegetables, is an important component when cooking Japanese food.  Dashi is the base flavor of a lot of Japanese dishes, and it is hard to omit.  Whether you make it from scratch or use more convenient instant granules or packets, Dashi will be needed if you’re cooking Japanese food. We’ll show you how to make 4 kinds of Dashi here, and they will be used in different dishes.

Dashi ingredients are found at Japanese or Asian markets, but you can also buy them online today. Check out our Dashi recommendations on Amazon.com (#CommissionsEarned)

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Shio Koji Recipe

Shio Koji

Shio Koji (塩麹) is Salty Koji seasoning that can be used to season various food and marinate meat. Koji is white rice with edible fungus, and it is used to ferment food such as Miso and Soy Sauce.  When Koji is fermented with salt and water, it develops a salty but mellow flavor with a touch of sweetness.  Originally Shio Koji was a very old traditional seasoning in Japan, and hadn’t gotten much attention for a long time until about a decade ago.  Somehow it was picked up in the 2010s again, and it became a mainstream seasoning for many modern Japanese dishes.

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Abekawa Mochi Recipe

Abekawa Mochi

Abekawa Mochi is a famous regional food of Shizuoka prefecture, west of Tokyo. It is freshly cooked Mochi coated with Kinako soybean powder and sugar.  This simple Mochi dessert is popular in the area of course and everywhere in Japan.  Abekawa Mochi is found in Wagashi Japanese sweet shops and supermarkets, but it is quite easy to make at home too.

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Ham Roll Recipe

Ham Roll (Japanese bread roll)

Ham Roll is a typical Japanese savory bread roll that can be found at many local bakeries in Japan. Thinly sliced ham is interestingly rolled into bread dough and baked, and it shows a nice swirl pattern in the end product.  Ham Rolls may look a little complicated but they are actually quite simple to make once you know how to do it.  We used the bread dough from our Japanese Basic Bread recipe which is light and fluffy, and perfect for these yummy rolls.  If you are not familiar with Japanese Basic Bread, please check out that video first before tackling this dish to avoid an unsuccessful result.

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